River hippies head out with hurricane relief from Tackle Box II

A big dually pickup truck hauling 104,852 bottles of water is headed down from the Tackle Box II, in Fremont, to help with Hurricane Helene relief.

Danny Stephens and his dog, Bowie, with Tonya Conley, one of the Tackle Box II employees, started their drive down to Bristol Motor Speedway, in Tennessee, on Thursday.

Category four Hurricane Helene hit the Gulf Coast and then Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina less than two weeks ago, killing more than 200.

Danny and Sereta Stephens, together with Tonya Conley, put together their hurricane relief effort on Friday.

“We got 52 pallets worth donated in less than 48 hours,” Conley said.

“That’s the good part about it,” Danny said. “We’re going to be doing it ourselves. We’ll find out when we get there. I’ve been through there. I know I have. I’m from Kentucky. People have lost everything. When you live in the hills, you don’t go to the banks. You put your money in a can underneath the floor, or the ceiling. All that went down the hills. Many of them didn’t have time to get their shoes on.”

Sereta Stephens, Danny’s daughter, will stay in Fremont, running the Tackle Box II.

“Every county we’ve called in North Caroline, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, they are overwhelmed with water. They are saying wait three weeks, to a month, before bringing any other supplies,” Sereta said. “The customers, here, have been amazing. We had one lady bring in a $4,000 check. People are bringing in hundreds of dollars, and we are matching everything.”

They have had to pause the donations, after the first 48 hours.

“The problem is going to getting rid of it. Everybody is overwhelmed with water. I’m taking this down and checking things out, because I can get another semi-trailer. I guess they have no place to store it,” Danny said. “We have contacts with several retired schoolteachers who will take care of the donation when we get there. I will turn everything over to them. . They can keep us informed about what they do with it, the money and the water. I want to know what they do with it.”

Danny makes sure to follow up on the donations he gives. It’s part of the reason his Tackle Box II customers use him for donation.

On the heels of Helene, Hurricane Milton has hit.

“We don’t know about the storm that’s hitting Florida now. So we’re going to get ours down there, and get what we’ve obligated ourselves to, done,” Danny said.

The start of this load was donated, in-kind, two full pallets, by the Fremont Rural King. Donations have also come in funding. After they get down to Tennessee, where there is an impromptu distribution center.

She will be sharing the driving responsibility with Danny.

“Everybody knows we do this. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s our good deed,” Danny said.

“He helps with every hurricane, or flood,” Sereta said. “If he can help, he helps.”

The Tackle Box II is the iconic restaurant on the Sandusky River in Fremont, known for it's perch, family-friendly atmosphere and eclectic decor. The 600 kid's lunch boxes that line the bar and lifesized Simpson's family draw a lot of smiles.

rlapointe@gannett.com

419-332-2674

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: River hippies head out with hurricane relief from Tackle Box II